Photo credit to Brooke Anderson @MovementPhotographer
Hundreds gathered near the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin on March 1 in a powerful demonstration against potential plans to reopen the facility for immigration detention. The prison, which was closed last year following a series of investigations and survivor-led advocacy efforts, had been the site of widespread sexual abuse, retaliation, and medical neglect.
The rally, organized by a coalition of immigrant justice groups and formerly incarcerated individuals, drew approximately 500 people, including survivors of both FCI Dublin and ICE detention. Protesters called for the permanent closure of the facility and demanded an end to new immigration detention centers in California. The demonstration follows reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has toured the prison twice in recent weeks, signaling an interest in repurposing it for detaining immigrants.
Survivors Speak Out
Aimee Chavira, a survivor of abuse at FCI Dublin and an advocate with the Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition, emphasized the need to keep the prison closed.
“At FCI Dublin, noncitizens were specifically preyed upon by staff, and we have every reason to believe that ICE would carry on that tradition of abuse, retaliation, and medical neglect,” Chavira said. “The prison was closed for good reason and should remain closed.”
Ana, an immigrant survivor of abuse at FCI Dublin, shared her story through a written statement read at the protest. She recounted how a guard exploited her immigration status, assuming she would be deported and that his crimes would go unpunished.
“After I was finally free from the hell of FCI Dublin, I was taken to another hell, a private ICE detention center,” Ana wrote. “I don’t want anyone to live through what I lived through, in a BOP prison or an ICE jail. FCI Dublin must stay closed forever.”
Saiyez, who was detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego for seven months, likened ICE detention centers to past injustices.
“No one should have to live in fear of expulsion,” he said. “ICE detention centers are part of the terrible tradition of internment camps based on racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.”
According to a press release, for decades, incarcerated individuals at FCI Dublin faced sexual assault, medical neglect, and retaliation. Noncitizen detainees were particularly vulnerable, with staff allegedly threatening to turn them over to ICE or making false promises regarding their immigration status. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has acknowledged significant infrastructure deficiencies at the facility, including mold, asbestos, sewage overflows, and water contamination.
A class-action lawsuit led to a historic settlement for survivors of abuse at FCI Dublin, and the litigation confirmed the prison’s unsafe conditions. BOP Director William Lothrop testified that the facility requires “tens of millions of dollars” in repairs—work that has yet to be completed. Advocates argue that if the facility were repurposed for immigration detention, ICE detainees would be subjected to the same inhumane conditions.
Additionally, calls to shut down ICE detention centers in California have grown louder in recent years. Members of Congress have pushed for closures due to reports of serious standards violations and mistreatment of detainees. During the rally, speakers also addressed the broader context of immigration enforcement under the Biden administration, warning of proposed expansions to detention facilities that could detain over 120,000 immigrants at any given time.
The family of Ulises Lopez, a Bay Area resident with life-threatening health conditions, shared a statement condemning ICE’s treatment of their loved one. Lopez was arrested on February 21 and taken to Golden State Annex, an immigrant detention center in McFarland, before fully recovering from hospitalization.
“We cannot stand by and allow ICE to treat our loved ones like this,” the statement read. “Ulises has rights, and we demand that ICE stop their attacks on him and our community.”
The rally was organized by the Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition in collaboration with immigrant rights organizations such as the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice and the Dignity Not Detention Coalition. Faith-based and advocacy groups also supported the event, including Tsuru for Solidarity and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
As ICE considers repurposing FCI Dublin, activists remain committed to fighting against the expansion of immigration detention in California. Survivors and advocates continue to push for the prison’s permanent closure, vowing to hold institutions accountable for past abuses and prevent future harm to immigrant communities.
